Défunt Ombres
by Orcinus21
Summary: 'Humans are weak and are meant to be the prey' or so the shadows believed. They never expected the humans to not only evolve into magi but also to make their way into the moonlight forming yet another fraction. And they definitely didn't expect a mage to take his place among the top.
1. Chapter o

Homo sapiens… human…ningen… manushya… rén de… bashri… chelovek…

Different words, but all same species.

Physically weaker, slower, so easily crushable in comparison to some of the beasts that roam the same sphere.

It's almost pathetic, if not for the fact that this species has also developed self-awareness. Thus leading it to foremost in the ever-advancing process, evolution; touching new zenith with each passing day. Building up new complexities, ideas, and innovation, with progress so astounding, trying their hardest either individually or in groups in feigning godhood over their neighboring species.

Making up for their physical hindrances in terms of mental development.

But neither they nor any other 'natural' species was ever meant to be the true predators.

Humans were always meant to remain in the blissful haze of obliviousness, entrapped in their own beliefs and skepticism, ideas of the truth and the false, the right and the wrong.

They may have a mushroom growth, enough to draw in the otherworldly beings, but such interests were seldom positive.

The shadows have always been obscure, and so is the world embraced by it.

Humans have been knowledgeable of the supernatural but few truly believe it. Indeed hiding in plain sight, pure and simple.

Of the believers, few are the preys, few are survivors and still, a few unsurprisingly under unusual circumstances have found themselves among the ranks of the predators.

After all, humans are tenacious creatures. They evolved themselves to survive and later on to grow in the shadows making it their home too. The prey they may be but they also started forming their own answers to the queries regarding their existence within the unseen dominion of the supernatural.

Religions had different answers and science may say otherwise, but humans started to carve their own mark in the world...

The ever-burning fire of obstinacy, that burnt and flowed within their veins, lead out the path to their own enlightenment. Their spirit called for, they got their salvation.

True magic they christened it.

The Gods may have given humans blessing, the devils may have made pacts, but true magic solely belonged to humans.

Thus a new subspecies of Homo sapiens, the true magic welders, came about: to be the avengers against the wrongs done to humans.

The era of the magi was born…

**So I have changed the storyline. For the first published, I was writing just for the sake of it... but now I thought of actually making something out of this story. **


	2. Chapter 1

"Quite the feisty brat, aren't ya? Try all you might, you can't unwind the bindings." A low, yet gruff voice called out.

A man in his thirties was peering upon a curious sight of a small kid, of around seven, squirming on the floor with his hands behind his back, tied with the aforementioned 'bindings'. What interested the man was the fact that the kid was pulling and pushing at the very much invisible metaphorical knots that the man had willed at the kid with his magic; instead of lumbering through them like a bound wild animal as per the norm.

The man kept his inquisitive gaze at the kid as he kept pulling at a specific 'knot' that was slowly loosening, further fuelling the man's interest.

The man once again took in the kid's appearance. He was leaning towards the scrawny side, yet not malnourished even if barely. Wearing a faded sweater and baggy pants, and brown shoes, the man noted his clothing to be quite unsuitable for the winters of the British countryside. He had a messy mop of coppery hair, with a light tint of bronze; pale skin, which was fairly common in these parts; and the most intriguing shade of emerald green eyes. The man decided that the boy had quite attractive features.

An orphan, the man thought, eyeing the small pin on the boy's sweater, belonging to the local orphanage.

Till then the boy was able to make his way through the first of the many 'knots'.

The boy had become a constant puzzle for the man since he broke into his compound. Clearly the boy saw through the intricate illusion that he himself had cast over his property in order to keep away the attention of the locals of Norworth, a small secluded community off the coast of the Irish Sea. A necessary measure for his privacy as his cottage there was a place for leisure and for the rare instance of keeping low whenever a job went wrong. But it seemed it wasn't enough for the little grunting brat on the floor, efficiently going thought his third knot.

_Hmm, that was quick. Kid's really got a sharp mind there. Since his first screams, he has been rather silent other than the occasional grunt and has also stopped moving. Heh conserving his energy, and only working his fingers. Sure a 'quick on his feet' this one._

Of course, the man was already aware of the kid's creativity. The way he bested his bounded field, to his great shame, was proof enough of that.

_In retrospect, it was clearly a lack of hindsight on my part in placing the runestone at the top of the chimney. Sure it was stronger at height and took up less energy but if a less savory individual was to break off the focus, even its secondary defense wouldn't have spurned up. But still who could have guessed its location. Apparently this brat._

Seemingly the boy had hurled stones at the chimney and was able to knock off the focal point of the bounded field allowing it to simmer down for a moment, enough time for the brat to break into the compound.

He mentally noted to build up a new field with the focus buried underground.

He saw all this through his security cameras since the boy first passed through his illusion, which sent off an alarm signifying the breach. Moreover, he had already discarded the boy as a threat. He was clearly an unarmed human and a non-magi at that. And above all, his intent was non-violent, as he wasn't instantly vaporized the moment the original intent-based field reformed.

One did not simply become one of the best hunters in the world without being paranoid. And of course, he was no slouch in his craft. _Other than the bounded field._ His mind added. _Jeremiah should never know of this._

As the boy entered thought the window it was then when he decided to take action and willed his magic as 'ropes' around the boy, which led to the present situation.

With his interest piqued, he put the boy though his binds instead of arresting his movements. And the man now was able to discern how the brat was able to see through his dense illusion, analyze the field focus and the present magical knots around his wrist.

The brat is in possession of freaking _mystic eyes_. Damn sure he was of it. There was no other way the kid was tugging at knots which even he couldn't see, even though it was his own magic at work. Instead, all he felt was the loosening of his magical hold which took the shape of non-physical binds.

Taking a slow and steady breath, the man spoke up again.

"Oi brat. I am releasing you. But don't even think of running away. Nod if you understand." Came the man's accentless voice.

The boy nodded once and the man released him with a snap of his finger. The boy slowly stood up and looked at his clean wrists.

"Don't worry I have already healed them." The man continued, "Now tell me why you broke into my house. And I will know if you lie."

The boy seemed to have gone through internal debate and after a moment decided to come clean.

"I have started to see things that others don't." The boy finally said with a little quiver in his voice.

"Oh, and what kind of things are you seeing?" The man asked with a raised brow.

The boy scuffled but went on.

"Things like your house. Till last month, there was nothing in this plot but now I see a cottage." After a deep breath he further elaborated, "When I mentioned it to Sister Margarete at the orphanage, she said that there was nothing. My friends all said the same and started to call me barmy. I wanted to prove them wrong and came here."

_He must have awakened them last month then._ The man mused.

"Do you see anything else?"

The boy seemed to contemplate a little before answering, "I see this wavy thing around your house, like a- like a blanket of the sort? Yeah, like-colored stuff. I also saw this other thing when I tried to enter the yard. Another blanket thing but different... It all seemed to go to the chimney. Yeah, and those funny feeling ropes of yours. By the way, how did you do it and what are these things I am seeing?"

The boy looked up only to see the much calm man wide-eyed.

_What the? He can see magic?!_ The man quickly curbed his momentary lapse in his emotions, even if barely. He was still reeling from the fact that the kid can see the very essence of all the supernatural. Sure there were recorded mystic eyes which can see life-force, but this was just monumental.

The nature of 'mystic senses' has still every much deluded the mages since their first appearance. Mainly due to their rarity, in both sense of manifestation and functioning. A few from the world mage association were able to study them but to no avail. All that is known that these only manifested in pure humans and that each was unique in their own right. These manifestations targeted specific sense organs and the center of the brain associated with it, and hence the name.

_This kid… The things he could do, the mysteries he could solve. He could change our understanding of the laws of magic!_

The man winced internally. He was certain he was going to regret this but was also aware that it can't be helped under such circumstances.

He cannot let the kid go. He was sure to be pulled into the moonlit world with such a gift and he will be damned if the kid went into the hands of any other race and lose his humanity. All the more he will be an asset for humans.

The man looked at the hopeful emeralds of the kid and sighed. He was feeling a migraine coming.

* * *

Magic! Who would have thought that magic is real as are dragons, angels, devils, gods and all other myths?

Apparently all these have been real since the beginning of time; just hidden from the eyes of the common human.

And I am not delusional! I can see and do magic myself!

The handsomely dressed man confirmed it.

At first, he was skeptical. When he first decided to visit the house (Not break-in! He was not able to look for the front door!), he was expecting some kind of technology performing such stuff as he read in the old comics.

But now the truth was in front of his eyes. A flame-like substance covered the man's hand. His flared-out magic, the man claimed.

Presumably, he had something called mystic eyes which had enabled him to see magic.

As he reached out to touch the flame-like substance, the man put it out. The boy looked up to meet the man's coal-black eyes, his dirty blond hair casting shadows over them in the dim-lit room.

The room, as the boy noticed in his previous captivity, was tastefully furnished which was clear even to him in spite of his background as an orphan who has spent all his life at Norworth orphanage.

The man, with sharp features and a light beard and average height and a lithe and well-built frame, asked.

"What is your name, kid?"

"Alexius Twist, sir."

"Twist? Is that really your surname?"

"No, sir." A blush slowly crept over the boy's face. "A caretaker gave me my surname. I was dropped at the orphanage at birth with only my name and some money. The caretaker was drunk and his son was reading Oliver Twist around those days. He thought it would have been funny." The boy grumbled.

The man continued to look on, but Alexius or Al as is preferred, was able to detect mirth by the little tugging on the man's lips.

A few moments passed in silence as the man continued to review Al. The man soon made up his mind as his eyes became firmer.

"So Alexius, would you like to learn magic?"

As Al processed it, he became gobsmacked.

"Blimey! Are you serious?!"

"Yes very much so. And I suppose proper introductions are in order. I am Demetrius Blackwood. An SS class mage and High Hunter of the order of Estevan. And I would like you to become my apprentice."


End file.
